Willamette Valley

The Willamette Valley is Oregon’s largest American Viticultural Area (AVA), stretching 150 miles north to south from the Columbia River to Eugene and 60 miles east to west. It has the largest number of wineries and vineyards of any Oregon AVA and includes six sub-appellations: Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge, Yamhill-Carlton, and Chehalem Mountain.

The Willamette Valley is known for a mild climate with cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers, which makes the area ideal for cool climate grapes, including the region’s most predominant varietal, Pinot noir. Other common varietals in the region include Pinot gris, Chardonnay, and Riesling.